UAE passport becomes the world’s most powerful
The UAE passport has surged ahead to regain its top spot in the latest ‘Passport Index’ of 199 countries released on Monday.
Based on a mobility score (MS) that totals the number of visa-free or visa-on-arrival countries a passport currently grants the holder, the index also notes COVID-19-related restrictions that are changing by the day.
The average global mobility score across all 199 states measured by the index is 89, based on a total of visa-free or visa-on-arrival access provided.
UAE topped the index with a score of 152. In the GCC, the UAE was the biggest climber in the third quarter of this year, moving up four places to the number one spot. In July, Bloomberg’s COVID-19 tracking data reported that the UAE was the most vaccinated country, which also helped it surge on the passport index.
Comparatively, Bahrain is down seven places to 52nd place (80 score), Kuwait down eight to 50th (85), Oman down seven to 56th (75), Qatar down seven to 47th (91), and Saudi Arabia down five in 55th place (76).
